How Much Does a Permanent Foundation For a Mobile Home Cost?

How much will you have to pay to get a permanent foundation for your mobile home? We found it out for you!

Written by Camilla Moln. Updated on How Much Does a Permanent Foundation For a Mobile Home Cost

If you live in a mobile home, you definitely know how unstable this construction can be sometimes, especially if you live in the area with rather harsh weather conditions, such as strong winds, hurricanes, etc.!

So no wonder that owners of mobile homes often wonder how they could make their homes more stable and better grounded.

There is one optimal solution to this issue, and this is installation of a mobile home permanent foundation.

It will help to “anchor” your mobile home to the ground better thus preventing it from being blown away by a hurricane!

In this article, we will tell you about a mobile home foundation cost mostly.

You will learn how much money it might cost to install such a foundation, what extra expenses you might need to cover, and whether or not you could do the job yourself.

In addition, you will learn more about the types of mobile home foundations and their prices.

And of course, we will explain what the permanent foundation actually is and why you should consider getting it.

How Much It Will Cost to Put Your Mobile Home On a Permanent Foundation

A permanent foundation is a crucial and essential part of your mobile home since it allows it to stay better grounded through any weather conditions.

But except for this major benefit, there is another one that goes with having a permanent foundation for your mobile home. See, having a permanent mobile home foundation turns your mobile home from personal property to something that is called real property.

But if you are worried that you might pay a fortune for it, don’t worry.

Such a foundation may not cost as much as you think!

Whether it be the cost of permits, materials, or labor (if you hire a contractor), let’s take a closer look at how much it costs to pour a permanent foundation for a mobile home, and what additional expenses this procedure might result in.

So in general, the cost of pouring a permanent foundation for a mobile home is the following: the national average to build a permanent foundation for your mobile home will cost you between 3,500 dollars and 200,000 dollars.

However, most mobile homeowners will pay between 4,500 dollars and 12,000 dollars. Not very cheap, we agree, but believe us, it’s worth that money!

If you decide to get a permanent foundation for your mobile home, consider the factors that will affect the final price:

  1. The size of your mobile home
  2. The type of foundation you choose
  3. Whether you will hire contractors or do the job yourself

Another factor that will influence the price will be how you maneuver your mobile home onto your new foundation.

This is why the range of prices is usually so wide, starting from 3500 dollars and going up to as much as 200 000 dollars!

Below we will take a closer look at different factors and nuances that may come along with the foundation pouring process.

How Much It Will Cost to Put Your Mobile Home On a Permanent Foundation
Credits: PeterSteele, via Crello.com

Types Of Permanent Foundations And Their Costs

If you want to calculate your mobile home permanent foundation cost, you need to take the foundation type into consideration first of all.

There are several different types of foundations on the market now that you can choose from.

Nevertheless, we suggest you still double-check locally to make sure that the foundation option you want is considered a permanent foundation in your area at all.

So the most common manufactured home foundation types that you can choose from are the following:

  • Concrete pit
  • Basement (unfinished and finished)
  • Crawl space
  • Pier and beam

As for the last option, even though pier and beam are typically considered permanent types of foundation as well, this may not be true for your particular area.

So always remember to check this nuance out!

As for the price range, these types of permanent basement will also cost differently.

The average price per square foot will be the following:

  • Unfinished basement 10-25 dollars
  • Finished basement 30-100 dollars
  • Concrete pit 10-25 dollars
  • Crawl space 7 dollars
  • Pier and beam 5 dollars
Types Of Permanent Foundations And Their Costs
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What Can The Basement Cost Be?

If you are wondering what your mobile home basement cost might be, you need to take the type of basement into close consideration!

But anyway, a basement will provide the highest return on investment, as well as the best benefits for your mobile home in future.

  1. For the unfinished basement type, you should expect to pay around 10 dollars to 25 dollars per square foot. Although, if you are leaning more towards a finished basement, that will cost you around 30 dollars to 100 dollars per square foot.
  2. In case you decide to get an unfinished type of basement, it means that all the pipes will be exposed. Also, the concrete is going to be used as flooring. This is why, if you are planning to use this area for any kind of storage in future, we would not recommend you considering this option at all.
    As for the prices, the average cost of an unfinished type of permanent basement is typically from 10 dollars to 25 dollars per square foot. In most cases, this includes the cost of labor as well. The total price will be somewhere between 5,000 bucks to 20,000 bucks.
    Now, it is a finished basement type. This type of permanent basement includes one that is similar to the upstairs inside of your regular home. A finished basement will typically have much better insulation, walls, level ceilings, flooring aside from the concrete, and pipes that will be covered as well. In addition, it may even have electricity and plumbing!
  3. In terms of money, for a finished basement, you will have to pay around 30 dollars to 100 dollars per square foot. This price includes the quote for finishing the area, and the cost of labor in case you decide to hire a contractor. As for the total price for a finished basement will be much higher than an unfinished basement! A finished basement can cost you from 15,000 bucks to 200,000 bucks.
  4. Let’s take a look at the concrete pit. The typical price of it will be between 5,000 and 20,000 dollars. Per square foot, you will have to pay around $10 to $25. And by the way, a concrete pit is a win-win option if you can’t choose between a crawlspace and basement. A concrete pit is a happy medium since it possesses the features of both!
  5. Crawl space now. A crawl space costs from 7 dollars per square foot. The total price will be anywhere between 3,500 bucks and 14,000 bucks. Yes, the price range is pretty vast, but it depends on several factors: the number and the type of materials that will be used, the difficulty of the project, and whether or not your property is sloped.
  6. Finally, we have reached the pier and beam! This type of foundation will cost you around 5 dollars per square foot with the total price being approximately 2,500 bucks to 10,000 bucks. The final cost will vary depending on the materials used mostly.

And now that you know the approximate prices for the permanent foundation, you might be curious about any additional expenses that may show up during the process.

Well, it is a reasonable worry so check out what extra costs you might have to pay.

Permanant Mobile Home Foundations | The 4 TypesPermanant Mobile Home Foundations | The 4 Types

What Additional Costs You Might Need to Cover?

In addition to materials and a contractor’s labor costs, you might need to run into several other expenses as well, such as:

  • excavation
  • soil grading
  • rental of equipment
  • costs of mobile home maneuvering

Now let’s take a closer look at each of these factors. Let’s start with excavation. An excavation job usually costs from $1,400 to $5,500 (residential).

But if you are hiring professional contractors, be ready that most companies will charge you from $40 to $150 per hour in addition to that price.

But in case you decide to do all the excavation job yourself (which is basically pretty easy), you will only have to cover the cost of the rented equipment.

In general, in this case you will pay around 200-400 dollars per day for a hired excavator.

As for the soil grading, it can be pricey. However, you must do it even before you start any work on your land at all since your soil needs to be graded.

If you hire a professional, the soil grading will be included in the quoted price. But generally, it costs around $5 to $10 per square foot to grade soil.

As for your mobile home maneuvering, its price will depend on whether you have a single-wide or a double-wide foundation. For a single wide, it will cost approximately $2,500. For a double-wide, from $5,000 to $8,000.

What Additional Costs You Might Need to Cover
Credits: Marje, via Canva.com

Related: How Much Wind Will Destroy a Mobile Home?

What Is a Permanent Foundation?

You may find it a bit odd that we have left the explanation of this term until the very end of the article, but that’s how it is. So usually, most owners of mobile homes wonder what is considered a permanent foundation for a mobile home?

Generally speaking, mobile homes are not typically affixed permanently to a foundation as you definitely know.

As a result, they are considered a personal property and thus they often suffer quite a significant depreciation in value.

However, mobile homes that are attached to concrete (or another type of foundation) on a permanent basis, usually hold their value better than their non-attached counterparts.

As for this type of foundation itself, a permanent foundation is a type of foundation that is built on site and it is made of durable materials.

Since mobile or manufactured homes are not categorized as site-built homes, it is vitally important that the foundation exists.

They can be permanently affixed to a permanent foundation either when it is first sited, or later.

In addition, when a mobile home has a permanent foundation, it is treated differently, as an actual real estate property.

But even though real property typically increases in value over time, there are not any guarantees to the mobile home’s value appreciation.

What Is a Permanent Foundation
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Related: How to Get Rid Of Roaches In a Mobile Home?

Is It Something That You Can Do Yourself?

Finally, here is the question that bothers so many owners of mobile homes!

Is pouring a permanent foundation something that you can perform yourself?

Or do you have to hire contractors only?

We would say, it is better to hire contractors. As you could already see from what we have explained above, this job includes quite a lot of nuances that can influence the final result of the work done.

Is It Something That You Can Do Yourself
Credits: Marje, via Canva.com

So when hiring contractors, you can be sure that your foundation will serve you long and it will be of a good quality. In addition, contractors will do quite a lot of extra job for you:

  • excavation
  • formation of your foundation
  • grading
  • home maneuvering

In addition, the cost of their job includes the payment for the tools/equipment, materials, labor, and building permit fees!

So, now you are informed about the approximate prices for the permanent foundation for a mobile home.

Like that, you will be able to calculate more or less precisely how much money you might need if you do decide to get such a foundation poured under your mobile home.

In addition, since now you have way more information about the nuances and important factors that may influence the price, we are sure that you will choose the type of foundation, as well as the way it will be poured that is the best for you.

Frequently Asked Questions

⭐ How long does putting a mobile home on a foundation take?

Depending on the amount of work, from 1 to 2 weeks.

⭐ What is a semi permanent foundation cost?

From 5000 to 8000 dollars.

⭐ What is the cost to anchor a mobile home?

It’s less than 2000 dollars.

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Camilla is an experienced Consultant with more than 20 years of preparing professional articles for numerous online resources. She has done a tremendous job and has learned a lot during her career. Camilla will advise you on the latest trends and give amazing tips on how to decorate a house.
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